Rooster Hill Farm Archives

October 9, 2002

Hort101 Lab Cornell Plantations Arboretum

Entrance to the Plantations arboretum.

Cork Tree

Crab apple malus toringo.
The Plantations evaluates crabapples for their performance and disease resistance. They have quite a collection of them.

Evidence of sooty mold. It comes from aphid sap that collects on leaves. Although this particular tree is not a favorite of aphids ...

Sycamore leaf showing stippling from lace bug (the leaf is covered with them) and a momma spider.

Different examples of trees gone wrong. These are from old growth trees (sugar maple) in the Fall Creek area. Branches break, and water enters the area. The trunk then rots inside and weak spots occur, eventually causing the trunk to split. A proper cut will compartmentalize the damage.

The staff arborists talk about their jobs.

Climbing a tree is demonstrated.

Throw ball. This weight (about 1.5 pounds) is used to get the ropes up in the trees.

The arborist's utility belt. Much of their equipment is modified rock climber's gear.

A blake hitch, or blake knot.

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September 18, 2002

Hort101 Lab Cornell Orchards

These apples are under 2" in diameter. They will be used for cider.

Apples in the cooler that made the cut.

The building that houses sprayer and pesticides.

The old spraying station.

Cranberries are very tolerant. While growing them, commercial producers use water in many different ways besides irrigation. Water can be used to protect the crop from freezing and also as a harvest aid. Cranberries prefer hemlock bogs but are grown in areas like Wisconsin, Mass., NJ, NY and Maine on many different soils.

Behind these gates are raspberries canes in pots. They are potted for year round growth. After they go through some fo the fall season and drop their leaves, they will be placed in coolers to simulate winter. After a month or so of this they will be placed in greenhouses and begin their growth again. The berries on them will be ready for harvest in February. This particular variety is Tulameen from British Columbia.

This is a kiwi tree. The fruit has no fuzz and is smaller than what you typically find in the store. It originates in Siberia and northern Japan. Since it is relocated, there are virtually no pests.

Currants are susceptible to mildew. When first brought the the United States, currants also brought white pine blister rot, which caused the United States and many individual states to ban the plant's importation. In the 1960's the federal government lifted the ban but many states, including New York, still ahve this law on the books. Some of these plants are illegal!

Marvin Pritts talks about raspberries. These are black raspberries with red raspberries in the background. Killarney, an early producer from Canada, is resistant to many virii that the plants are prone to getting.

Everbearing raspberries -- I missed the variety but Heritage is a good example. These plants bear fruit on the tips -- new growth -- producing summer and fall crops.

Blueberry patch.

Bird Gard. Many attempts were made to deter birds, the blueberry's biggest pest. Concord grape juice spray was once tried as birds cannot stand the taste of Concord grapes (like a lot of people!) but this failed as the juice turns very acidic when exposed to sunlight and defoliated the bushes. Also tried was a spray made from sugar water. Birds cannot digest complex sugars well. While this worked, it was labor-intensive as it had to be re-applied after each rainfall. This solution, the Bird Gard, sends out a species-specific bird alarm call when motion is detected.

Chinese Chestnut Castanea mollissima.
New York is the northern margin for growth. There has not been much research done on varieties or selection. Most of these trees are seedlings from the same mother.

Female persimmon tree. This tree has virtually no pests. Not much research has been done on breeding and selection.

Mulberries.

Hazlenut, or Filbert, tree. U.S. production is almost entirely based in Oregon.

Male Catkin. These will flower in the spring.

Concord grapes

Chaunac grapes. Notice how some of them are frosty or white-colored. Bloom is a natural wax that protects grapes (and many other fruits) from rain cracking.

Lowbush blueberries

Cross between lowbush and highbush blueberries

Lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea

An entire field of berry bushes.

Strawberry experiment, testing effects of compost application.

Where the feet are is where no compost was applied. Growth level is *much* less.

The class stands under a Cortland apple tree, located in the oldest orchard. This was probably planted around 1923.
The Cortland is a top-bearing variety. It requires a lot of pruning to allow sunlight in through the canopy so the apples develop color.

What will be next year's growth.

Beginning of this year's growth.

A dense planting of trees lies just beyond the Cortland's shadow. This type of planting requires 5-6 years for yield and a return on investment. Every 5th tree or so is a crabapple for pollination purposes.

Here is some interesting research. This tube opens up into the root system. Every week, pictures are taken at root level to monitor growth. Not much is known about when an apple tree grows its roots. Through research like this it was discovered that apples do most of their root growth May through June, and that is it for the rest of the year. Knowing when roots grow is important when it comes to knowing when to water and fertilize.